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TWO LETTERS 



RESPECTING THE CONDUCT OF 



Rear Admiral Graves 



ON THE 



COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, 

JULY TO NOVEMBER, 1781. 

BY WILLIAM'gRAVES, Esq., 

OF THE INNER TEMPLE. 






sshttxC?-^ 



' Wdsh* 



, J MORRISANIA, N. Y. 



1865. 



■VtU' V\A>. 



Only loo Copies Printed. 



No. iO. 



Cteo^vo^ I^.^aw^to 



^^^",1 



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1 



Press of J. M . Bradstreet & Son 



INTRODUCTION 



^ I ^HE following Trad:, concerning a very important event in the War of 
-*- the American Revolution, was written by William Graves, Efq., the 
eldeft brother of Admiral Thomas Graves, and privately circulated for the 
purpofe of defending the latter from the ferious charges which were brought 
againft him, fubfequent to the furrender by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. 

Concerning the author of the Trad, very little is known beyond the fafts 
that he was the eldeft fon of Captain Thomas and Elizabeth [Budgell) 
Graves; that he was a member of the Inner Temple, a Mafter in Chancery, 
and during feveral years a member of the Houfe of Commons, reprefenting 
the borough of Eaft and Weft Looe, in Cornwall ; and that he died at his 
Chambers, in the Inner Temple, in June, 1801, aged feventy-feven years. 

The prefent edition of the Trad is as perfedl a fac-fimile of the original as 

can now be made ; and, with a hope that it will prove ufeful to thofe who 

(hall be engaged in the ftudy of the military hiftory of the United States, it 

is refpedfully iflued. 

H. B. D. 



MoRRISANIA, N. Y., 
j4pri/ 4, 1 864. 



TWO 



\ 



\ 



LETTERS 



FROM 



W. GRAVES, Efq; 



RESPECTING THE CONDUCT OF 



REAR ADMIRAL GRAVES, 



I N 



NORTH AMERICA, 



From the beginning of JULY to that of NOVEMBER, 1781. 



B 



*^* Thefe Letters were originally defigned for Tbe Morning Chronicle of the 21ft and zzd of 
January, 1782, at the opening of the fefTion of Parliament; but the publication was laid afide for 
feveral particular reafons, and, among others, from a probability of the Admiral himfelf being 
foon in England. The prefent impreffion is merely for private ufe, to avoid the trouble of mak- 
ing tranfcripts for intimate friends. The fafts are as fully, corrcftly, and impartially given, as 
any materials which the compiler could get at enabled him to give them ; although he is per- 
fuaded that, for want of communication with the Admiral, his cafe is not done juftice to, and 
that this is a very imperfeft ftate of it. 



( 3 ) 



LETTER I. 




SIR, 

'Y reafon for troubling you with this letter is what has been both pub- 
licly and privately propagated, with much induftry, to the difadvan- 
tage of a very near relation, who by being abroad muft be entirely 
ignorant of what is faid at home. 

Upon the firfl day of this feflion of parliament (as I was foon informed, and 
read alfo the next morning in the Morning Chronicle of the i8th of November, 
178 1,) it was aflerted by Lord Denbigh, that "Rear Admiral Graves had 
"received repeated advices from Sir George Rodney in May, July, and Au- 
" guft laft, of an intended French naval expedition to the Chefapeak, with a 
" recommendation to colled: his whole ftrength, and meet Sir Samuel Hood ofF 
"the Capes of Virginia; that Sir Samuel proceeded there in due time, dif- 
" patched immediately a frigate to Admiral Graves to let him know his arri- 
"val, waited afterwards nine days for his coming, and, being then tired, failed 
"with his own fquadron for New York, looking by the way into the Chefa- 
"peak and Delaware, where he could fee neither friend nor foe; that he found 
"Admiral Graves at Sandy Hook, not even preparing to fail ; and that at laft, 
" when the Admiral moved from thence towards the Chefapeak, he left four 
" fhips of force behind him." To this, the common report made his lordfhip 
add, " the Admiral had the like information and dired:ions from the Admiralty, 
I "but 



( 4 ) 

" but that he had equally difregarded them." No fuch aflertions were hazarded 
in the Houfe of Commons : although, on the St. Euftatius day, Sir George 
Rodney ftated the merit of his own proceedings in the Weft Indies, and the 
advices which he had fent to the commander in chief by fea at New York, and 
fpolce in the higheft terms of Sir Samuel Hood. And in the laft letter from 
Sir Henry Clinton, dated the 13th of November, he writes, " Had it been 
" poffible for the fleet to have failed at the time it was firft imagined they 
" would have been able to do, I have not the leaft doubt that Lord Cornwallis 
"would have been relieved by the joint exertions of the navy and army, and I 
" therefore cannot fufficiently lament that they could not have been made 
"fooner." And this refers plainly to that General's letter to Lord Cornwallis, 
of the 24th of September, informing his lordfhip, "that the relief would fail 
" the 5th of Oftober*." 

Now, Sir, as the Admiral, whilft in North America, could not be apprized of 
what was palTmg here, and, by being removed from thence to Jamaica, cannot 
for a long while have any intercourfe with this country, I think it my duty to 
lay before the public fo much of his proceedings, relative to thefe charges, as 
I have any good ground for afcertaining. 

lih.QfirJl of Sir George Rodney's advices was this. 

"Sandwich, St. Euftatius, 3d May, 178 1. 
"SIR, 

" A very confiderabie French fquadron having arrived at Martinique from 
" Europe on the 29th of laft month, I think it my duty to give you informa- 
"tion thereof, that you may be upon your guard fliould they vifit the coafts 
" of America, in which cafe I fhall fend every aftiftance in my power. 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

"G. B. RODNEY." 

It was addrefTed to Vice Admiral Arbuthnot, fent by the Garland, Captain 
Chamberlayne, and arrived (as I am informed,) at New York the 19th of June, 
whilft Mr. Arbuthnot was there. On the 5th of July the Vice Admiral failed 
for Europe ; and the naval command in North America fell of courfe to the 
next fenior officer. Rear Admiral Thomas Graves, the fliips of the line there at 
this time being fevenf. 

* See London Gazette, December 16, 1781. 
■j' London 90 guns, and 8 carronades, 



Bedford 

Robufte J- 74 

Royal Oak 



America ") 
Europe !■ 64 
Prudent ) 



About 



( 5 ) 

About the 19th or 20th of July came advices from the Admiralty, by the 
Hornet, of fome fhips with money and fupplies for the rebels being upon the 
feas for Bofton. In confequence of which, Rear Admiral Graves, then lying 
ready without the bar at Sandy Hook with fix fhips of the line, failed fo foon as 
the wind permitted, which was the 21ft, ordering th.e Adamant of 50 guns, that 
only wanted water, to get fupplied, come over the bar, and follow him; which 
fhe did, and joined him the next day at fea. The Royal Oak likewife, which 
had been fent on the 6th of June by Mr. Arbuthnot to Halifax to careen, came 
from thence about this time, and joined the fquadron near St. George's Bank 
on the 28th of July: the probability of a rencontre with the Rhode Ifland 
fleet, then called eight fhips of the line, had made this aflembly of the whole 
New York fquadron very defireable. 

From this cruize they returned to Sandy Hook the i6th of Auguft, and the 
next day went over the bar to refit as foon as poffible ; but the Robufte and 
Prudent, being extremely infirm, were ordered into dock ; the former (not be- 
ing coppered) to be fliripped and caulked, and her bottom thoroughly ex- 
amined ; and the latter to take in new mafts, thofe which fhe had being unfer- 
viceable and unfafe, their wounds in the aftion of the i6th of March having 
opened during the late cruize, and endangered their falling. 

Whilfi: Admiral Graves was at Bofton, Sir George Rodney's /^^ok^ difpatch 
arrived at New York, of which I could get from him* no other than the fol- 
lowing general minute. 

" Sandwich, 

* In confequence of what fell in the Houfe of Lords, the fame night (as we were dividing in 
the Houfe of Commons,) I afked Sir George Rodney for the dates and particulars ot his three 
difpatches to North America, when, with great franknefs and politenefs, he told me, "I fhould 
" have copies of them, for he thought I had a right to them," telling me withal, " that the 
" difpatch of the 7th of July was the moll material of all." The next day he gave me a run- 
ning minute of them ; but on my reminding him of his promife of copies, he affured me he 
would have fuch made and fent to me. After waiting feveral days, I called twice at his houfe 
for the purpofe ; and, not finding him at home, I wrote two or three notes to refrefh his me- 
mory ; but from the hurry (I fuppofe) of bufmefs, he omitted to fend to me any copies. How- 
ever, the St. Euftatius affair brought him to the houfe ; when he dated his feveral advices, and 
appeared to have tranfcripts of them : I applied to him, as we were rifing, for thofe tranfcripts ; 
and he then, after turning over all his papers three or four times, drew out feveral, and gave 
them to me. I did not at that time look into the contents, but did fo the next morning, when 
I found the difpatch of the 7th of July to be only mifTmg : whereupon I wrote direflly to Sir 
George to mention the omiifion, and pray it might be fupplied. In anfwer, he fent a very gen- 
teel note (December 5,) faying, "The copy of his letter of the 7th of July was in his letter- 
" book left at Plymouth, lout a copy was, he believed, fent to the Admiralty." Upon this I 
wrote to Mr. Stephens to beg a tranfcript, alluring him, if I had it from him, I would not print 
it. I had no anfwer ; but, on meeting him ten days afterwards, he told me he had made a dili- 
gent rummage zmoT\% their papers at the Admiralty, and it could not be found. So foon as I 
heard of Sir George getting to Plymouth, I wrote again to intreat the favour of a copy of this 
letter of the 7th of July from his letter-book : I have had no anfwer. Being aware of his mul- 
tiplicity of bufinefs, I wrote at the fame time to a friend there to wait upon Sir George and his 
Secretary for the purpofe: the latter, (Mr. Paget,) upon being applied to, faid he would look 
out the copy, if there was one, and fend a tranfcript the next morning; but this not being done, 
my friend went to Sir George himfelf, at the Commiffioner's houfe, December 24, who received 

C him 



( 6 ) 

"Sandwich, Carlifle Bay, yth July, 1781. 

" Acquainting Vice Admiral Arbuthnot, that the French fleet, under De 
GrafTe, had quitted Martinique with the trade of that ifland, and were un- 
doubtedly gone to Cape Fran9ois ; that in all probability they would after- 
wards proceed to the Chefapeak ; therefore recommending it to him to join, 
with all his force, the fquadron I fhould either bring or fend to his afliftance 
off the Capes of Virginia, ftationing frigates to look out for that purpofe, 
and to give my fquadron the neceffary information relative to affairs in 
America." 

This difpatch (of which I wifh I could give the very words, that they might 
fpeak for themfelves,) was brought to New York by the Swallow floop, Capt. 
Vv^ells; and Commodore Affleck, who then commanded the port, within twenty- 
four hours, fent the Captain to fea with it again in queft of Admiral Graves. 
A privateer coming within fight of Captain Wells, he purfued and took her 
with ipirit ; but falling-in afterwards with three privateers, he was obliged to 
run the Swallow afhore upon Long Ifland, and, to prevent his difpatches from 
coming to the hands of the enemy, he funk them v/ithout opening. He got 
back again himfelf at laft to New York, but not till after the arrival of Sir Sa- 
muel Hood at Sandy Hook, and then waited upon Admiral Graves : the Ad- 
miral was much difiatisfied with him for having gone out of his way to chafe 
when carrying difpatches ; but I hear the Captain fays he was neither apprized 
nor aware of there being any importance in his difpatches. 

I cannot learn that any information or diredtions upon this head came from 
Europe to Admiral Graves. None of his cruizers, though many were out, 
brought him any intelligence from the Capes of Virginia or the Chefapeak 
either of Sir Samuel Hood or the enemy ; nor did any arrive from Sir Samuel 
himfelf This officer came to Sandy Hook the 28th of Auguft, under a frefli 
of wind, with fourteen fail of the line, and his frigates followeci the next day. 
By him Admiral Graves had the firfb account of the French Weft India fleet 
being failed for, and probably gotten to, fome part of the North American 
coaft ; but Sir Samuel did not know their ftrength, and came with a full per- 
fuafion that our force was a match for theirs, and reprefented his own fhips 
as fit for fea for a month. On the evening of the fame 28th came advices of 
De Barras having left Newport In Rhode Ifland with his fquadron the Satur- 
day before (the 25th.) 

The Admirals confulted with the General ; and Rear Admiral Graves in- 
ftantly determined to feek the enemy, and to fail with the firft wind for the 

him with his ufual politenefs, aflured him of his good intentions towards, and his great defire to 
ferve. Admiral Graves, whole character he well knew was moll unjuftly injured ; and, after 
palling fevcral high encomiums upon him, told the gentleman that if any copy of this letter was 
in his poflefTion, he would certainly fend it to him when he got aboard: but no copy has been 
fent, and Sir George is failed from Plymouth. 

chance 



( 7 ) 

chance of falling-in with one of the French fquadrons before joined by the 
other. He had got five of his fhips of the line and one fifty quite ready. The 
only fhips befides of two decks at New York were the Prudent and Robujie, 
the former of which had all out, and was careening, and the other had no 
mafts ; and neither could be equipped within ten days. It would have been a 
great fatisfadion to the Admiral to have been able to take thefe two fhips, not 
only from their rate, but becaufe they were commanded by the Captains Bur- 
nett and Cofbie, who had fo lately diflinguifhed their valour under Mr. Ar- 
buthnot in the very fame feas. 

A line of battle was delivered the 30th ; and, the wind ferving on the jifl, 
the whole fleet made the beft of their way for the Chefapeak, without any /in- 
terruption, but from the complaints of the Weft Indian fquadron, the Terrible 
on the third day of failing making the fignal of diflrefs. The fleet brought-to; 
when the Terrible was found to have come from the Leeward Iflands wfth five 
pumps at work, the Jjax but little better, and the Montagu a leaky fliip ; that 
fome of the refl had fprung mafts, and feveral were very fhort of water and 
bread. Thefe defecfls were fupplied as quickly and as well as the fituation 
would admit, and the fleet proceeded with the utmoft expedition. 

In the morning of the 5th of September, between 9 and 10 o'clock, as the 
mouth of the Chefapeak began to open, the frigate ahead defcried the enemy 
on the furthermofl fide of the bay. They were difcerned from our great fhips 
between 10 and 11 at anchor within Cape Henry in Lynnhaven Bay, and 
were judged to be about fifteen fliips of the line! At noon, whilft we' were 
running m, they were difcovered to be getting on their way. About a quarter 
after i o'clock the fignal was made for the leading fhip (in Sir Samuel Hood's 
divrfion) to lead more towards them, and our fleet continued to approach as f,~" 
fafl as pofTible in a line abreafl, as far as the fhoal of the middle ground would ' ' 
let us, It being then changed for a line ahead, the wind on our flarboard quar- 
ter, until our rear came abreafl of the enemy's van, they being at this time 
ftanding out of the bay in a line ahead. About 2 o'clock their fleet difclofed 
itfelf fully to our view, and were found to confift of twenty-four large fhips of 
the line ; upon which it was taken univerfally for granted that De Grafl^e mufl 
have been joined by De Barras. About 1 1 minutes after 4 our fleet wore, '-^ 
which gave the van to Mr. Drake, and the rear to Sir Samuel Hood ; and the 
Admiral continued to prefs on his fleet as much as he could, and frequently re- 
peated the fignal for leading more towards them. About three quarters after 
3 o'clock he flung out the fignal for a line ahead at a cable's length ; and foon ■ 
after, our line feeming to be pretty well formed, the five vanmoft fiiips of the 
enemy to be very particularly extended, and as many of their rear not clear of 
Cape Henry, fo that we could ad againfl: them with the advantage of three 
to two, the Admiral thought it a favourable moment for attacking them, and 
accordingly made the fignal for each fliip to bear down and engage her oppo- 
nent, filled his own main-topfail, and bore down ; and three minutes afterwards 
repeated the fignal for clofing with the enemy. At eleven minutes after 4 he 
^ hauled 



7 



;~ A; / ^ ' 

- ' «IA 1-9 



\ 



\l 



( 8 ) 

hauled down the fignal for the line ahead, that it might not interfere with that 
for engaging clofe, and about a quarter after 4 the van and centre entered into 
adion. All the fhips however not appearing fufRciently extended, the Admiral 
at 22 minutes part 4 hoifted anew the fignal for the line ahead, but within 5 
minutes took it in, and never let it out again during the day, and then diredtly 
made the fignal afrefh for clofe adiion, which about a quarter after 5 he likewife 
repeated*. Neverthelefs, the feven rear or flernmoft of our fhips, from fome 

caufe 

* To prevent any mifreprefentation of mine, through want of leamanfhip, I fhall here give 
a tranfcript of the proceedings aboard the London, as minuted down at the time by the Admi- 
ral's lecretary, who fent me a copy ; although it will be intelligible, I am afraid, to none but 
failors. 

" An account of the proceedings of the fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Graves, in 
" an aftion with the French fleet off Cape Henry, on the 5th of September, 1781. 

" Half paft 9, A.M. the wind at N.N.E. the Solebay made the fignal for a fleet in S.W. 
" At 10 Cape Henry bore W. fix leagues. Half pall 10 made the fignal to prepare for aftion. 
" Signal to call in all cruizers. At 1 1 difcovered a fleet of large fliips at anchor near Cape 
" Henry, fuppofed to be the enemy. Made the fignal for a line of battle ahead at two cable's 
" length. At noon the King's fhips getting into their llations. Cape Henry W. ;l S. four or 
" five leagues. Moderate and fair weather. Half pafi 12 difcovered the enemy's (hips getting 
" under fail. Three quarters pail iz made the fignal for the line ahead a cable's length. 
" At I hauled down the fignal for the line ahead, and made the fignal to form an E. and W. 
" line at a cable's length. At 8 minutes pail i made the fignal for the rear divifion (Admiral 
" Dralce) to make more fail. The weather inclinable to be fqually, took a reef in the topfails. 
" At 20 minutes pall i made the fignal for the leading ftiip to lead more to ftarboard. 25 
" minutes pafl i repeated the figual for the rear of the fleet to make more fail. Half pail i the 
" Centaur's, fignal to keep her llation. 35 minutes pafl i the fignal for the leading fhip to lead 
" more large or towards the enemy. 39 minutes past i made the Rcfolatkn, America, and 
"■ Bedford's, fignals to get into their flations. At z found the enemy's fleet to confill of 24 
" fhips of the line and 2 frigates, their van bearing S. three miles, ftanding to the Eailward, 
" with their larboard tacks on board, in a line ahead. 4 minutes pall z, finding our van ap- 
♦' proaching too near a fhoal (called the Middle Ground,) made the preparative fignal to veer. 
" 1 1 minutes afterwards made the fignal and wore together ; brought-to in order to let the 
" center of the enemy's (hips come abreafl of us. 21 minutes paft 2 made the Bedford's fignal 
" to get into her llation. Half pall 2 made the fignal for the leading fhip to lead more to llar- 
" board (in order to approach the enemy). 40 minutes pall 2 made the Salamaiider's, fignal to 
" prime. 52 minutes pall 2 made the Royal Oak's fignal to keep the line. 55 minutes paft. 
«' 2 made the Tcrrible's fignal to get into her llation. 56 minutes pall 2 made the Priaccjj'a's 
" fignal alfo, and at 3 the Alcides fignal likewife. At 17 minutes paft 3 repeated the fignal 
" for the van fhips to keep more to ftarboard (or towards the enemy). At 27 minutes pail 3 
" made the fignal for the rear of the fleet to fill. Half paft 3 made the fignal for the fhips 
" aftern to make more fail. 34 minutes paft 3 made the fignal for the fhips in the van to keep 
" more to ftarboard (or towards the enemy). 46 minutes paft 3 made the fignal for a line 
" ahead at a cable's length. The enemy's fhips advancing very flow, and evening approach- 
". ing, the Admiral, judging this to be the moment of attack, made the fignal for the fhips to 
" bear down and engage their opponents; filled the main-topfail, and bore down to the enemy. 
" 3 minutes afterwards repeated it. At I I minutes paft 4 hauled down the fignal for the line 
" ahead, that it might not interfere with the fignal to engage clofe. At a quarter paft 4 the 
" van and centre of our fleet commenced the aftion. 22 minutes paft 4 hoifted the fignal again 
" for the line ahead, the fhips not being fufficiently extended. 27 minutes pail 4 hauled down 
" the fignal for the line ahead, and made the fignal for clofe aftion. 40 minutes paft 4 the 
" Royal Oak's fignal to keep her ftation. 1 1 minutes paft 5 the Montagu's fignal to get into her 

ftation. 



( 9 ) 

caufe of which I am ignorant, did not come into the engagement; and by the 
return they appear to have had no men killed or wounded, nor any the leaft 

" ftation. 20 minutes paft 5 repeated the fignal for clofe aftion. Half paft 5 the rear divifion 
•' bore down (Sir Samuel Hood). 35 minutes paft 5 made the So/eiiiy's and Fortunee\ fignals 
" to come within hail. 15 minutes pall 6 the Admiral fent the Solcbay to the (hips in the rear, 
" and the Fortunee to thofe in the van, with orders for the fliips to keep in a parallel line with 
" the enemy, and well abreaft of them, during the night. 23 minutes paft 6 the fignal for the 
" line ahead at a cable's length, and hauled down the fignal for clofe aftion. Half paft 6 the 
" fire ceafcd on both fides. A quarter paft 7 made the night-fignal for a line ahead at two ca- 
" ble's length afunder. At 9 the Montagu hailed, and faid fhe could not keep the line, being 
" fo much damaged. At 10 the Fortunee informed the Admiral that the Shrewjbury had the Cap- 
" tain and many men wounded, and firft Lieutenant killed, both her topfail yards fhot away, 
" and was then employed getting one up. The Intrepid was much difabled in every refpeft. 
" The PrinceJ/'a'?, maintopmaft fo much wounded as to expeft it every moment to fall. At 7 
" Cape Henry N. W. 3 leagues. 

" Found our main and foremafts dangeroufly wounded, ftanding and running rigging 
" much cut, inner gammoning of the bowfprit ftiot through, (ails much damaged, three guns 
" dilmountcd, one of which was thrown overboard, four men killed, and eighteen wounded. 
" The wind from N. N. E. to N. E." 

I have likewife icQw the journals of two of the officers of the London, fent to the Admiralty, 
which confirm the truth of this minute. 



LINE of BATT 



Frigates. 



?3 



Ships. 



L E. 

O 2 



Commanders. 



o 

c 
3 



o 



Divifion. 



Santa Monica | 
to repeat. j 

Richmond 



Solcbay 

La Nymphe ]^ 
to repeat. j 



Adamant 

Salamander fire 
fliip. 

Sybil to repeat. 
La Fortunee 



2d 



Alfred 

Belliqueux 

Invincible 

Barfleur 

Monarch 
Centaur 

America 

Refolution 

Bedford 

London 

Royal Oak 

Montagu 

Europe 

Terrible 
Ajax 

Princefla 

Alcide 

Intrepid 

Shrewfbury 



Capt. Bayne 

Brine 

Sax ton 

( Sir Samuel Hood 
j Capt. Alex. Hood 

• Reynolds 

• Inglefield 

■ Samuel Thompfon 

Ld. Robert Manners 

Thomas Graves 

( Rear Admiral Graves 
\ Capt. David Graves 

Ardefoif 

Bowen 

Child 

Hon. Wm. Clem. Finch 

Charrington 

f Rear Admiral Drake "| 
I Capt. Knatchbull j 
Charles Thompfon 

Pye Molloy 

Mark Robinfon 



74 
64 

74 

90 

74 

74 

64 

74 
74 

98 

74 
74 
64 

74 
74 
70 

74 
64 

74 



The Alfred to lead with the ftarboard, the Shrewfbury with 
the larboard tacks on board. 

D 



600 
500 
600 

768 

600 
6;o 

500 
600 
600 

800 

600 
600 

500 

600 
55° 
577 
601 



50' 
600' 



16 
14 
18 

5 
22 
18 



35 
52 



90 246 I16 



"a -u J- 
o ^ 



.-go; 

n ^ « o 
« (m »-. 3 



2 Su: 

•-; o y 



o 









c/2 "^ — . 
• ■^•- ^ 



damage 



( lo ) 

damage : the centre and rear of the enemy were therefore able to advance in 
fupport of their van, which had borne away ; but the Ville de Paris avoided 
clofing with the London as much as poffible. The firing ceafed with the day. 

The van of the enemy had been broken, fo that (as I apprehend) had all 
our line been able to go into battle at once, according to the Admiral's inten- 
tion, fomething decifive muft have happened. Many of the French fhips 
might perhaps have been forced afhore, as well as prevented from coming up 
to the alTiftance of their van; and their fleet upon the whole (fuperior as it was) 
beaten, or at leafl: obliged to have fled ofi-" the coafl;. 

The next day Captain Duncan of the Medea, who was fent to look into the 
bay, returned, and reported tliat he had (etn two large fhips with two decks, 
and one fmall, come to an anchor off York River, and five fail m.ore working 
down the Chefapcak, and that two other large fhips of war were difcovered 
going trom Elizabeth River to Hampton Road. 

The 8th, the Iris rejoined the fleet, after cutting away the French buoys in 
Lynhaven Bay ; and on the fame day arrived the Pegafus, Captain Stanhope, 
from the Weft Indies, with Sir George Rodney's //;/r<^/ and laft difpatch, which 
was what follows. 



"Gibraltar, at fea, 13 Aug. 1781. 



SIR, 



" Herewith I have the honour to enclofe you intelligence which I received 
from St. Thomas's the night before I failed from St. Euftatius, and to ac- 
quaint you that I left Sir Samuel Hood preparing to fail with all poffible 
dispatch vvith 12 fail of the line, 4 frigates, and a firefhip, for the Capes of 
Virginia, where I am perfuaded the French intend making their grand effort. 
Permit me, therefore, to recommend it to you to colleft all the force you 
can, and form ajunftion with Sir Samuel there. You will, I hope, ere this 
reaches you, have heard of his approach by his fafteft failing frigate, which 
I directed him to difpatch for the purpofe of looking out for intelligence off 
the Chefapeak and Delaware. 

" The French fleet under Monfieur de Grafle, when they left the Grenades 
to colled: their convoy, confifted of 26 fail of the line and two large fhips 
armed en-flute; and I imagine, at leaft 12 of thofe fliips, and in all proba- 
bility a part of Mr. de Monteil's fquadron, will be in America; and it is 
not impoffible they may be joined by fome Spanifh fliips. 
" It is certain that the enemy intend to make an early campaign in the Weft 
Indies after the hurricane months; I have therefore diredied Sir Samuel 
Hood to return immediately after the full-moon ofOftober, and I muft re- 
queft not only that he is on no account detained beyond that period, but 
that you will add to his force what line of battle fhips can poffibly be fpared 
from the fervice in America during the winter feafon. 

" Befides 



( II ) 

" Befides the fquadron Sir Samuel Hood brings with him, two line of battle 
" fhips, which I fent to ftrengthen the convoy to Jamaica, have my orders to 
" proceed from thence through the Gulph, and join him at the Chefapeak 
" without delay. 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

" G. B. RODNEY." 

This difpatch was addrefTed to Vice Admiral Arbuthnot, or the command- 
ing officer for the time being, of his Majefty's fhips employed in North 
America. 

The Terrible now made the fignal of diftrefs full in view ot the enemy ; but 
they did not attempt to renew the engagement, though the wind often favoured 
them, and the Englifh lay-to for the purpofe ; and, when the wind once favoured 
the latter and they tacked upon the enemy, fo foon as the Englifh van reached 
their centre, they broke their line, and made off. The two fleets, however, 
continued in fight of each other until the 9th, when the French took advantage 
of the wind during the night to prefs fail, and lofe fight of the Englifii. 

On the loth the Terrible was ftripped, and the nth, after dark, fet fire to, 
our fleet being then off the coaft of Virginia, to the Southward of Cape Henry, 
from whence it immediately afterwards bore up again for the Chefapeak, where 
they found the French had gotten in, and Mr. De Barras arrived from Rhode 
Ifland, his fquadron having entered the bay on the loth, whilft the two fleets 
that had combated were at fea. 

With advice of the foregoing material events, Rear Admiral Graves now 
difpatched the Medea, Capt. Duncan, to England, with pofitive orders not to 
wait for private letters, nor touch at New York, nor to lofe one moment's time 
on his paflage on any account. 

The 16th, the Prudent, from New York, joined the fleet upon its return to- 
wards Sandy Hook, where the whole anchored on the 19th, when their re- 
equipment and repair were fet about with the utmoft alertnefs. 

The 24th, in the evening. Rear Admiral Digby came in from Europe with 
the Prince George of 90, Canada of 74, and Lion of 64 guns, and brought Ad- 
miral Graves his firft notice of his deftination, by the delivery of Admiralty or- 
ders, dated before the middle of July, for him to proceed with the London to Ja- 
maica, and put himfelf under the fenior ofiicer on that ftation, iffenior to himfelf. 

The nth of Odober arrived the Torbay of 74, and Prince William of 64 
guns, from that ifland, in purfuance of Sir George Rodney's orders. 

The utmoft, and very uncommon, exertions had been made throughout the 
naval department to get the fhips ready again for fea, but fomc crofs accidents 
intervened to retard them; in particular, the Alcide fell aboard the Shrew/bury, 
and carried away her bowfprit and fore-yard, juft as fhe had repaired her da- 
mages in the late fight. All, however, except the Sbrewjhury, Montagu, and Eu- 
rope, get down to Sandy Elook the 17th, when the Admiral gave out his line of 
battle; the next day they embarked their troops; and on the 19th, the three 
4 laft- 



( ^2 ) 

laft-named fhips joining the reft, and taking in their lot of foldiers, the whole 
armament proceeded tor the Chefapeak. It confifted of 25 (hips properly of 
the line, there being three fhips of 90 guns (with fix or eight additional carro- 
nades in each), fourteen of 74, one of 70, and feven of 64, befides two of 50*, 
with 7149 land-forces on board, to which the general would have added another 
regiment or two, but there was not room for them. 

On the 24th, when near Cape Charles (the hithermoft headland of the Chefa- 
peak,) the fcouting veffels brought intelligence of the furrender of Lord Corn- 

* L I N E of B A T T L E . 



The PrinceiFa to lead with the ftarboard, and the Bedford with the larboard tacks 

on board. 



Frigates. 



Sybil 
Britannia 



Peleverencc to 
repeat fignals. 

L'Enfer fire-fhip 
Felicity 



Rattlefnakc 
Carysfort 
Volcano fire-fhip 

Orpheus to re- \ 
peat fignals. | 

Aniphion 
Conflagration 
fire-fhip. 

Blonde 

Lively 

Salamander fire- 
fhip. 

Pegafus to re- 
peat fignals. 

Oflrich 

La Nymphc 
Santa Margaritta 



?3 



3d 



2d 



3d 



Ships. 



Commanders. 



Princefla 

Alcidc 

Lion 

Canada 

Pr. George 

Refolution 

Intrepid 

Montagu 

Warwick 
Pr. William 
Centaur 
Europe 
Robufle 

London 

Royal Oak 

America 

Shrewfbury 

Torbay 

Adamant 

Ajax 

Prudent 

Monarch 

Barflcur 

Invincible 
Belliqueux 
Alfred 

Bedford 



Rear Adm. Samuel Drake 
Capt. Knatchbull 

Charles Thompfon 

Fooks 

Hon. Wm. Cornwallis 

SRcar Admiral Digby 
Capt. J. Williams 

Lord Robert Manners 

Pye Molloy 

Bowen 

Hon. G. K. Elphinfton 

• G. Wilkinson 

Inglefield 

Child 

Cofby 

( Rear Admiral Graves 
-' Capt. Kempthorne 
( Morice 

Burnett 

Samuel Thompfon 

Knight 

Gidoin 

David Graves 

Charrington 

Barkley 

Reynolds 

iRear Adm. Sir Samuel Hood 
Capt. Alex. Hood 
Saxton 

Brine 

Bayne 

i Commodore Affleck 
Capt. Thomas Graves 



577 

600 
500 
600 

768 

600 

500 
600 



Divifions. 



50 350 
64 500 



650 

500 
600 

800 



74 600 
64 500 



600 
600 
35° 

55° 
500 
600 



961 768 

74 600 

64 500 

74| 600 

74! 617 



Rob. Digby, Efq; 
Rear Admiral of 
the Red. 



Thomas Graves, 
Efq; Rear Ad- 
miral of the Red, 
and Commander 
in Chief. 



Sir Samuel Hood, 
Bart. Rear Ad- 
miral of the 
Blue. 



wallis 



( 13 ) 

wallls fome days before. His Lordflilp had opened a treaty the 17th, fettled the 
terms the i8th, and figned them the 19th. 

At this period the enemy's fleet confifted of 34 fail of the line, formed into 
a crefcent, with the faille de Paris in the centre ; and they lay at the entrance 
of York River, between the fands called the Horfe-fhoe and York-fpit, where 
our {hips muft have had tne difadvantage of banks, flioals, and tides, to limit 
and obftrudt their operations. However, we flood clofe into the back of the 
fands, to offer them battle, for two fucceffive days. The Admiral would indeed 
have been glad, his men of war being now in good order, to have tried the 
fortune of another action in free water, as he knew, if well fought, it muft at 
leaft have fo maimed De GrafTe, as to difable him from adhing this winter againft 
our Leeward iflands ; in the fame manner as he would have been incapacitated 
from coming to North America, had he been defeated or crippled in the Weft 
Indies: let the viftory fall of either fide. But the French fhewing no difpofi- 
tion to come out, our fleet haftened back on the 29th to land the troops, and 
anchored again on the 2d of November at Sandy Hook; the Admiral having 
previoufly detached the Ranger floop to the Leeward Iflands, to apprize them 
of the ftate of things. The General and Admirals held a confultation upon 
their return: Sir Samuel Hood declared, he fhould not go over the bar, but 
mufl return forthwith to the Weft Indies: a feparation was refolved. Rear 
Admiral Graves refigned the command of the North American fleet to Mr. 
Digby*, and, agreeably to the Admiralty orders, failed on the loth, at 6, 
in the morning, fingly, with the London for Jamaica; on the nth Sir Samuel 
Hood went off with 18 fhips of the line and feveral frigates; and the old, de- 
cayed Robufte and Europe were allotted for the next convoys to England. 

I am. Sir, 

Your moft humble fervant, 



Inner Temple, W. G R A V E S . 

a9th January, 1782. 

* He being the next below, as Mr. Rowley, at Jamaica, is the next but one above, Mr. 
Graves, on the lift of Rear Admirals of the Red. 



LETTER 



( -5 ) 



LETTER II. 



SIR, Inner Temple, 20th Jan. 1782. 

AS the Compte De Grafle is the hero, who has lately gained fo much 
credit by fea for the enemy, at our expence ; and as the blame for his 
career not having been flopped has been lain upon Rear Admiral 
Graves ; I think it will be proper to hear what the Count himfelf fays of the 
ftand which was any where made againft him, in the courfe of his naval cam- 
paign ; for, the whole having been one connected chain, if any link had been bro- 
ken, he could not have gotten to North America. I mean to give an abridgment 
of his own narration, and add the original, word for word, at the end, putting 
references (by capital letters in the margin,) from my fummary to his detail. 
Where, indeed, mention is made of Sir Samuel Hood and Sir George Rodney, 
I fliall fubjoin fhort notes, and cite our feveral London Gazettes, containing 
their circumftantial refpedive relations. Impartiality may be expefted from 
an enemy towards individuals who have afted againfl; him, if not towards their 
ftate ; and comparifon is a common method of fettling the refpeftive merits of 
concurrent officers, where the circumftances have been fomewhat fimilar. On 
thefe accounts; as alfo becaufe the world has been led to believe that the whole 
demerit of our late misfortunes in the Chefapeak was to be derived from the 
negligence of Rear Admiral Graves, and from his want of circumfpeftion; and 
that nobody befides could be queftionable for the infufficiency of our oppofi- 
tion to the Count, or for his getting into that bay at all, notwithftanding he had 
brought both his fleet and army from the Weft Indies, where different Ad- 
mirals had commanded, and met with him : I find it neceflary to relate the 
whole of his voyage. I fhould, in truth, be inexcufable for giving a partial, 
when I could give a complete, relation of his operations, as they had one uni- 
form tendency, towards the accomplifhment of his laft great atchievement. Ne- 
I verthelefs. 



( i6 ) 

verrthelefs, I fhall do this briefly. " * The Compte De Grafle left Breft the 
" 22d of March, and on the 29th of April drove off, under his fire, 18 Englifh 
" fhips of the line which had blocked Martinico for fifty days; their advantage 
" in fpeed, and the part which they took of running before the wind, obliged 
" the Count on the third day to give up their purfuifj", in order to go to 



•■= See the original. No. (l). 

+ Sir Samuel Hood, in his reprefentation of his cannonade, dates De Graffe's fhips to be at 
firft 19 of the line, with two armed en f.utes ; but that, after the firing began, they were joined by 
the ihips from Fort Royal (without faying how many; moil accounts lay 4) ; that the aftion 
became general about noon, but at a great diftance ; that, after much manoeuvring, the two 
fleets were at 6 in the evening four miles dillant from each other, the French then coniitling ot 24 
fhips of the line; and that the next day (the 30th of April), at 25 minutes paft 12, he "judged 
•■ it improper to dare the enemy any longer to battle, and thought it his indifpenfable duty to 
" bear up, and that he made the fignal for it at 8 o'clock." But it appears from his lubfe- 
quent relation, that the enemy however did not ceafe from firing at Ibme of his fhips until 7 
o'clock the next morning (the ift of May), from which the Torbay of 74 guns received a good 
deal of damage: fo that the two accounts differ more in the manner of telling than in luitance ; 
for what the French czWs flying with the wind in the poop, the Englifh terms bearing up, but both 
mean withdrawing or retiring from fight. All Sir Samuel's fhips came into aftion, and in his 
own four men were wounded. 

LINE of BATTLE, given out the 8th of April, 1 78 1. 

Alfred to lead with the (larboard, and the Shrewsbury with the larboard tacks on board. 



Frigates. 



Amazon 

Lizard, to re- 
peat fignals. 



Pacahunta, to 
repeat fignals. 



Ships. 



3d 



2d 



3d 



Alfred 

Belliqueux 

Alcide 

Invincible 

Monarch 

Barfleur 

Terrible 
PrincefTa 
Ajax 

Reiolution 
Montagu 

Gbraltar 

Centaur 

Ruffell 

Pr. William 

Torbay 

Intrepid 

Shrewfbury 



Commanders. 



Capt. Bayne 

Brine 

Charles Thompfon 

Bickerton 

Reynolds 

Sir Samuel Hood 
Capt. Knight 

Fergulon 

Sir Thomas Rich 

Symons 

Ld. Robert Manners 

Houlton 

Rear Admiral Drake 
Capt. Knatchbull 

Knott 

Sutherland 

Douglas 

Gidoin 

Pye Molloy 

M. Robinfon 



O 



Si5 



600 

500' 
600 
600; 2 
600' 

767I- 

600 
560 
55° 

600 
600 

667 

650 

650 
500 
600 
500 
600 



Mem. In cafe any line of battle fhip or (hips fhould be called away 
the fhip that would have followed the one abfent is to take her place. 



o 



4 
16 

26 

16 

6 

27 
23 
'4 



36 161 



Divifion. 



pa ^ E 

^-° E 

§^^^ 

E -a IS 
— -a q rt 

P ,_ -.S 

a ra " 
CO u .5 S 
, OS cq 13 



^ E 
.- -a 



I w 



Fort 



( 17 ) 

" Fort Royal in Martinico. After ftaying forty-eight hours, he feigned an 
" attack upon St. Lucia that he might carry Tobago, which was taken in the 
" face of Rodney himfelf, who with 22 fhips againft 24 would only be a wit- 
" nefs, taking care to keep a refpeftful diftance, and conftantly refufing a 
" combat, which the French offered him with a good grace*. The fleet pro- 
" ceeded then to St. Domingo. The i6th it anchored at the Cape; on the 
" 23d the Intrepide of 74 guns blew up ; and fo did the Inconftante-\. The 
" 5th of Auguft it lailed again, and, paifing before the Havannah through the 
" Bahama Straits, anchored on the jothj in the bay of Chefapeak. The Cato 
" of 50 guns, the Guadaloupe of 24, feveral floops, and a great number of 
" tranfports, were at this time fecuring to the Marquis de la Fayette fub- 
" fiftence and communications, and rendering him mafter of the fea. 

" The Count immediately difpatched the Concorde to notify his arrival off 
" Cape Henry, and embarked in fmall craft the 3300 land-forces which had 
" been diftributed among the 28 fliips of war that compofed his fleet. The 
" Glorieux, Aigrette^ and Diligente, chafing ahead, when he entered the (C) 
" bay, difcovered the Guadaloupe frigate and Loyalijt floop at anchor under 
" Cape Henry, and purfued them to the entrance of York river: the floop was 
" taken ; and the Glorieux, accompanied by the two frigates, anchored at the 
" mouth of the river to block it, and was reinforced the next day by the Fail- 
" lant and Triton. The river James was alfo taken poffeffion of; the Experi- 
" ment, Andromache, and feveral floops, were placed there; the higher part of 
" this river, in which the difembarkation was to be made, is eighteen leagues 
" diftant from the anchoring ground in Lynhaven bay, where the fleet lay 
" waiting for news from General Wafliington and the return of its boats, when 
" on the 5th of September, at 8 in the morning, the look-out frigate made the 
" fignal for 28 fail in the Eaft, directing their courfe for the Chefapeak; the 
" wind being in the N.E. It was a little afterwards perceived to be an enemy's 
" fleet, and not the Count de Barras, who was expected : they were under a 
" prefs of fail, and very foon near enough to be eafily diftinguiflied to be 
*' ranged in line clofe to ftarboard, their fliips of force in their van. The (D) 
" Count de Graffe immediately gave orders to prepare for battle, and for get- 
" ting on way. At noon, the tide ferving, the fignal was made to fet fail, 
" and to form an expeditious line in getting on way. This was done in lefs (E) 

* Sir George fays, " his reafons for not attacking them were becaufe they had it in their 
" power to entangle his Majelly's fleet among the Granadillas, to decoy them into the channel 
" between Granada and the Spanifh main, where the currents are fo rapid, that his fleet might 
" have been drove far to leeward, while the enemy had it in their power to anchor under the 
«' batteries of Granada." See LonJati Gazette, 4 Aug. 1781. 

f Of 40 guns, by BelPs Univerfal Neptune. 

\ Monfieur Rochambeau fays, " He received letters from the Count De Grafle, which in- 
" formed him of his arrival in the bay on the 2'ith of Augujl ; that the Count, after the fight, re- 
" entered it on the iith of September, when he found De Barras there, who had come in the 
" loth, bringing with him the befieging artillery in ten tranfports ; and that two Englifli fri- 
" gates (the Iris and Richmond) found themfelves between the two fleets, and were taken." See 
Supplement a la Gazette de France, 20th Nov. 1781. No. (II.) Letter (M). 

F " than 



( i8 ) 

" than three quarters of an hour, notwithftanding the abfence of 1800* men 
" and 90 officers, employed in the difembarkation of the troops; and the Count 
" de Grafle gave a verbal order to Mr. de Monteil, Commodore, to take the 
" command of the rearj". 

" The Englifh came from the wind, and had kept it by forming on a line 

(F) " clofe to ftarboard. At 1 o'clock they wore, and lay upon the fame tack 
" with the French, without being ranged however in parallel lines, the rear 
" of Admiral Graves being infinitely to the windward ot his van. At 3 o'clock 

(G) " (after fome manoeuvres) the leading fliips of the two fleets approached 
" each other within mufket-fhot. At 4 the aftion began in the van with a 
" brifk fire, and fucceffively the fliips in the main body came in for their fliare. 

* In De GralTe's letters to Rochambeau, he calls them no more than 1500. See the account 
of the latter ( No. II. ) at letter ( Nj. 



Le Sicur de Bougainville. 



■\ His line was the following : 








Ships. 


Guns. 


Men. 




Le Pluton 


74 


800 




La Bourgogne 


74 


800 




Le Marfeillois 


74 


800 




Diadeine - 


74 


800 




Reflechi - 
Augufte - 
St. Efprit 
Caton 
Cefar 


64 
80 
84 
64 

74 


550 
987 
987 

550 
800 




Deftin 


74 


800 




La Ville de Paris - 


106 


I 200 




Viftoire - 


74 


800 




Le Sceptre - 

Northumberland 


74 
74 


800 
800 




Palmier - 


74 


800 




Solitaire - 
Citoyen - 


64 

74 


550 
800 




Scipion 
Magnanime 


74 
80 


800 
887 


Hcrcule - 
*7.'7 Languedoc 
Zel£ 


74 
84 

74 


800 

1000 

800 




Heftor - 
Souverain- 


64 
74 


550 
800 



Le Comtc de Grafle. 



Le Sieur de Monteil, Chef d'Efcadre. 



Their number of guns and men I have taken from BelPs XJnwcrfal Neptune (principally), 
where the Caton is fet down as of 64, and, from her being put into the line, I fuppofe fhe mud 
be a different (hip from the Caton of 50, which Mr. dc Graffe before mentions to be in one of 
the rivers attending upon de la Fayette, and never af'terwards has taken notice of as having re- 
joined him ; although he fpecifies the return of the Gloricux of 74 guns. The laft fliip of the 
line, together with the Triton and Vaillant (of 64), the Experiment and Caton (of 50), Concorde 
(of 36 j. Aigrette and Andromache (of 32), Diligente (of 26}, and Guadaloupe (of 24), at this 
time were up the rivers York and James. 

< "At 



( 19 ) 

^ At 5, the wind, having continued to fhift, threw the French van too far to (H) 
^ windward, and the Count, being anxious to make the action general, and to 
^' difpofe the enemy fo to do, ordered his van to bear up a fecond time : that 
of Admiral Graves being roughly handled, he took advantage of the wind, 
'^ which rendered him mafter of the diftance, to avoid being attacked by the 
French rear, which was making its utmoft efforts to get at his rear and centre. 
^ The fetting of the fun put an end to the combat. The Englifh kept the 
I wmd, and, having preferved it the next day, employed themfelves in refit- 
ting. The 7th, at noon, the French getting the wind, the Count approached 
the enemy, and manoeuvred in the evening to keep the wind durino- the 
' night. The 8th, at day-break. Admiral Graves availed himfelf of a ihfft of 
' wind to get to windward; the Count wore his fleet, and (after various ma- 
noeuvres of both fleets) the wind was yielded to the French, from whom the 
' Englifli had gotten to a diftance with all their fail fet. The night gave the (I) 
^ Englifh again the wind ; but in the evening of the 9th, the Count gained 
^ It by his management, and by the advantage of being able to make more fail 
[ than the Englifli fquadron, his fliips having fuffered lefs. The Count then 
• perceiving the difficulty of forcing Admiral Graves to an engagement, and 

■ fearing left fome fliiftings of wind might not permit him to get before him 

■ to the Chefapeak, took the part of returning there to continue his opera- 
tions, and take aboard again his crews. The Glorieiix and Diligente rejoined 
him the loth at night. The nth the Iris and Richmond frigates fell into 
his hands, and his fleet anchored under Cape Henry, where the Count de 
Barras* had arrived the evening before. 

'' The French fleet was compofed of 24 fliips and 2 frigates ; Admiral 
Graves, reinforced by Hood, had 20, of which two were three deckers, 
and 9 frigates or floopsf. By their own confeflion, five of their fhips have 

*His fquadron confifted (according to Mr. Arbuthnot's account, of" March 20, fee London 
(gazette, 24 April, 1781 ), of the following fhips. 

Le Due de Bourgogne 
Neptune 
Conquerant 
Ardent 



1 



84 

74 



Eveille 
Jafon 
Provence 
Romulus 



r64 
40 



La Concorde 


36 


La Surveillante 


32 


Le Furet 


30 


Le Senfible 


28 


La Charlotte 


20 


Des Corvettes. 





And I believe the Sagittaire of 50 had joined him fince. 



tSee Admiral Graves's account, London Gazette, 6 Oaober, 1781, by which it appears 



he had 



2 of 90 (with 6 or 8 carronades in each). 
I 2 of 74 
I of 70 
4 of 64 
I of 50 (the Adamant); but this laft was not in his 

line, nor engaged. For his line of battle 

fee p. 

" been 



( 20 ) 

'' been confiderably mauled, and particularly the Terrible of 74, which they 
" burned the 9th at night, flie not being able to keep above water. The 15 
" firft fhips of the French line v/ere all that took any fhare in the aftion, and 
" had only the fame number to fight, the 5'-' in the Englifh rear having refufed 

(K) " to come within reach. 

" The 1 8th the Count De Grafle quitted the anchoring ground in Lynn- 
" haven bay, and took that beyond the Middle Ground and Horfhoe banks; 
*' his fleet anchored in line of battle within, and at the outlet from, thefe two 

(L) " banks, ready to moor, if Admiral Graves, reinforced by the arrival of 
" Digby, had attempted to relieve Lord Cornwallis : there were alfo three 
" fhips appointed to go and moor themfelves at the entrance of James river. 
" The 17th of Odiober Lord Cornwallis defired a fufpenfion of arms for 
" twenty-four hours ; two only were granted ; and then he defired to capi- 
" tulate ; a day was employed in difcuffing the articles, which were figned the 
" 19th. At the pofts of York and Gloucefter were found 1500 Englifii fea- 
" men, and about 40 veflels, of which one {hip was of 50 gunsf, which has 
" been burnt, and 20 tranfports, that have been funk : in the number is the 
" Guadaloupe frigate of 24 guns." 

The foregoing relation is not a boafting parade of his own exploits, and con- 
firms feveral of the paflages advanced by me. 

From the whole courfe of facfls related in this and the former letter, and the 
comparifon of the Englifli and French relations, the world muft now judge 
whether the Count de GrafTe might have been ftopped in his triumphant pro- 

1 grefs ; and, if fo, in which of the ftages with the moft advantage ; as well as 
which of our naval commanders exerted himfelf, in faft, the moft for the pur- 

1 pofe ; and confequently where, and on whom, the principal blame, if any, 

I fhould be laid, all circumftances confidered. 

{ It is evident from Sir George Rodney's laft difpatch, of the 13th of Auguft, 

' he never apprehended that more than a part of De Graffe's and of De Mon- 
teil's fquadrons would go to North America; for which reafon (I fuppofe) he 
fent the 1'orbay and Prince William to Jamaica, merely to ftrengthen a convoy, 
and came home himfelf in the Gibraltar, that vaft and powerful fhip, which 
would certainly have borne the fhort paflage to New York, as fhe ftood the 
long one to England. It turned out, however, that De Grafle brought all the 
fhips of the line of his own and of De Monteil's fquadronj to the Chefapeak, 

excepting 

* In my relation I reprefcnt feven of our (hips not to have been engaged, and this was the 
fadl ; lo that the fifteen French fhips had no more than twelve Englifh to contelt with. 

•j- The Charon of 44. 

J The fquadron of De GrafTe and De Monteil confifted (I believe) of the following (hips: 

Guns. Guns. 



*La Ville de Paris . 106 
*Le Languedoc ) „ 

* St. Efprit j + 



* Augufte 

* Magnanime 



80 

* La 



(21 ) 

excepting the A5lionnaire of 64 guns, left at St. Domingo for a convoy, anci 
the Intrepide, which blew up there. 

Had therefore Sir George's fecond difpatch, of the 7th of July, found Rear 
Admiral Graves at New York, by arriving before he went off Bofton, and had 
the Admiral, in confequence of it, proceeded immediately with his whole fqua- 
dron for the Capes of Virginia, to look out for Sir Samuel Hood's from the 
Leward Iflands, without waiting for any farther advice of or from him, one of 
thefe two Englifh fquadrons feparately, or both conjunftly, by cruifing there- 
about, might have fallen-in with De Graffe ; in either of which cafes, we 
fhould certainly at that time have had 27 French fhips of the line, and one, if 
not two, of 50 guns to encounter, and could have had no other poffible acceffion 
ourfelves than the Robufte and Prudent, which were in dock at New York when 
the adiion took place. But on the other hand, at the time of that adion, their 
Glorieux, 1'riton, and Vaillant, with the Experiment (and I believe the Caton of 
50 guns,) were up the rivers of the Chefapeak attending their army, together 
with 1 800 men and 90 officers of the crews of their other 24 fhips of the 
line, all of which would have been in the fight had it happened on De Graffe's 
firft arrival off the Capes. 

Had our fleet deferred failing from New York for a week or ten days, in 
order to wait for the Prudent, De Barras would have been joined to De Graffe 
and De Monteil, and we fhould have had then the united force of their three 
fquadrons, excepting the Triton and Vaillant, to contend with ; for the Glorieux 
rejoined De Graffe the loth of September, the very day that De Barras arrived : 
fo that the enemy would have had 34 fhips of the line, inftead of 24, in the 
battle; and we but the fame 19 and the 50 which compofed our ftrength on the 
5th of September, with the addition of the Prudent, for fhe joined the fleet on 
the 1 6th, and could not have reached us fooner. 





Guns. 




Guns. 


*La Bourgogne 




L'Aftionaire 




*Le Cefar 




* Caton-j: 




* Citoyen 




* Heftor 




* Deftin 




* Reflechi 


-64 r) L- 


* Diademe 




* Solitaire 




^% Glorieux 




§ Triton 




* Hercule 




§ Vaillant 




II Intrepide 




§Le Caton j 




* Marfeillois 


■74 


§ Experiment ' 


50 


* Northumberland 




II L'Inconftante 


40 


•r^ * Palmier 




§La Courageufe 

§ Aigrette 

§ Andromache 




* Pluton 




'32 


* Sceptre 






* Scipion 




§La Diligente 


26 


* Souverain 




§La Guadaloupe 


24 


*La Viaoire 




Pliefieurs Corvettes. 




*Le Zele 




Un grand nombre de ' 


"■ranfports. 


* In the aftion. 


' 






§ Out of the aftion up the rivers. 








II Burnt. 








\ Quere whether this be or not the fa 


me fhip 


with the Caton of 50 guns. 





For 



( " ) 

For thefe reafons, chance feems to have rendered the moment of our conflicfl 
as opportune as it could have been, that is, when the enemy's force to op- 
pofe us was the leaft ; and had we fucceeded on the 5th of September in de- 
feating De Grafle, and driving his {hips from the coaft, De Barras could not 
have landed the French artillery, and his fquadron would probably have been 
impounded and captured in the bay. It is not therefore without reafon that Ad- 
miral Graves, in his letter to Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe (which I have feen), 
[ ( I I faid, " the 5th of September ivas, I confefs, a moment of ambition with me." 
The ftory of Sir Samuel Hood having been nine days oiF the Chefapeak, 
I waiting for the Admiral, is fo impoffible to be true, under the circumftances be- 
I fore related, that it deferves notice again only to be expofed. 

With refpedt to Sir Henry Clinton's afflirance to Lord Cornwallis, that the 
relief by fea would be ready on the 5th of October, I can fay nothing; not 
knowing what ground Sir Henry had for fuch afliirance. And with regard to 
his not having the leaft doubt but that, had it been then ready, it would have 
been efFeftual ; the world muft judge from any antient or recent atchievement 
of a fimilar nature, in naval hiftorv, how far 25 Englifh fhips of the line, with 
two fifties, were capable or likely to have forced 34 French fhips of the line (of 
fuperior ftrength) fituated advantageoufly. If it be fuppofed that the Englifh 
could have evaded the French main fleet anchored ofFYork river, by clinging the 
fouthern fhore of the Chefapeak, running up James river, and landing the 
troops before that fleet could advance thither; I will only defire the map to be 
looked into, and the probable information to the enemy of our approach from 
their fcouting vefTels, together with the fmallnefs of the diftance t"rom the mouth 
of one river to that of the other, and the time requifite for the difembarkation 
of our 7000 troops, to be confidered. But if, by grofs inattention in the French, 
fuch a projecft could have been executed, let me afk what probably would have 
been the ultimate fate of the whole Englifh fleet, after being once gotten up 
James river, and there blocked by more than 38 fhips of war of the enemy .'' 

This is all which I fhall trouble you with on the part of a flag oflicer now in feas 
very remote, who, from being confcious of having done his duty, to the beft of his 
abilities, for his Majefty's fervice, in moft critical circumftances, cannot have the 
leaft fufpicion of any artifice being ufed to difguife or conceal fafts, in order to 
make the world miftake him for the caufe of the late misfortunes in the Chefa- 
peak. The returning of Mr. Arbuthnot fooner, and the going of Mr. Digby 
later, than was intended, were folev the occafion of Mr. Graves having any the 
leaft command in chief in America for a moment: and had it been pofTible to 
have fent Mr. Digby both earlier and ftronger, the laft unfortunate fcene, which 
we all lament over, would never have happened at all. 

\ I am, Sir, &c. 

W. GRAVES. 



P. S. On 



( ^3 ) 

P. S. On the laft day before the recefs of the Houfe of Commons, according to 
the newfpapers, Admiral Keppel faid, " he had ever been of opinion, that if 
" a proper ufe had been made of the force under Admiral Graves, Mr. De 
" Rochambeau would never have been fufFered to land in America, and the 
" difafter of Lord Cornwallis would have been prevented." Ffuppofe the Ad- 
miral muft allude to the time of the Rear Admiral's failing for North America. 
The fad; was this. On the 20th of March, 1780, he had notice of a command, 
and fliortly afterwards orders to get 8 {hips of the line at Spithead ready for fea. 
By the 8th of April he was ready, and moved to St. Hellens. Several acci- 
dents happened to fome of his fhips, and he got to Plymouth with a part of them 
only on the loth; and, not having the number of fViips fpecified, he could not 
fail on the nth with Mr. Walfingham, who then put to fea from that port. 
His fquadron was afterwards reduced from 8 to 6 fhips of the line ; and on the 
account of Walfingham's convoy, which had returned from apprehenfions 
of an enemy, the Rear Admiral was directed to wait for and attend them to a 
certain latitude. This prevented his failing when he would otherwife have 
done fo ; and mifchief happened to his reduced fquadron by a ftorm on the 
7th of May, whilft lying in Plymouth Sound waiting for the convoy. At laft, 
however, by orders dated the 13th of May, he was directed to fail with fix parti- 
cular fhips of the line, and one frigate, without Walfingham ; and he accordingly 
put to fea on the 17th of that month at 8 o'clock in the evening, after fun-fet, 
with the firft prafticable wind, which becoming foon foul, he beat againft it for 
three days, and at laft cleared the channel ; after which he loft no other time 
on his paffage than the fhifting of the prifoners of a large French Eaft India- 
man, which he had fallen upon and captured by the way, neceffarily took up, 
and, in eight weeks exadlly, arrived at New York, that is on the 13th of July; 
and there he put himfelf under the direftion of Mr. Arbuthnot, agreeably to 
his laft orders. The fquadron which failed from Breft on the 2d of May, at 5 
in the morning, and confifted of 8 fhips of the line and a frigate, got on the 
American coaft the fame day, or but one day fooner. And Mr. Digby, with 
3 fhips of the line and a frigate, has been lately nine weeks and four days in 
going from Plymouth to New York, although by the Gazette it appears that he 
loft not a moment on the way, and fell in with nothing. 



(No. 



( 24 ) 

N.B. The foregoing narration is as juft as the means within my power 
have been able to render it ; but I fhall forthwith fend a copy to Rear Ad- 
miral Graves at Jamaica, that he may corred: the nautical errors, if any, and 
fupply the deficiencies in point of fad: and reafoning. 



lift Tanuary, 

.782. W. G. 



E R R A T 



Page 4. I. II. "fooncr ;" which refers, &c. 

5. 1. 10. r. off Bofton. 
8. (note) 1. 28. r. board. 
13. 1. 17. Ranger ihould be in Italics. 

15. 1. 10. ftrilie out the comma after "margin." 

16. after No. (l) add, p. 25. 

17. 1. 27. r. 27 fail; and lift line of note, after letter (M) add p. 31. 

18. (note) 1. 2. after (N) add p. 31. La Ville de Paris (hould be no guns; Languedoc 

So; Heftor 74. 
so. (note) La Ville de Paris (hould be no guns; Le Languedoc, St. Efprit, and Augufte 
So guns, and Magnanimc 74 guns. 

21. add *He6tor at bottom of the firft column, and ftrike It out of the fecond. 
Ibid. col. 2. 1. 16. r. Plufleurs. 

22. 1. 36. r. folely. 

26. 1. 3. r. I'air. — 1. 6. r. debouqua. — In 1. 28. ftrike out the comma after compofoicnt. 
28. 1. 28. r. entrepr.rent. — 1. 32. r. donne. 



( 25 ) / . 



(No. I.) 



SUPPLEMENT 



A LA 



GAZETTE de FRANCE. 



Du M A R D I, 20 Nov. 1781. 



" Precis de la Campagne de I'Armee Navale aux Ordres du Comte 

'' De GraJjTe. 



' T E Comte de Grafle parti de Breft le 22 Mars, avec un convoi de cent 
' \_j cinquante voiles, apres une traverfee fans exemple pour fa brievete, 
' chafla le 29 Avril a coups de canon dixhuit vaifTeaux de guerre Anglois qui 
' avoient bloque la Martinique pendant cinquante jours ; la fuperiorite de 
' leur marche, & le parti qu'ils prirent de fuir vent arriere, forca le troifieme /^\ 
'jour le Comte de GrafTe de renoncer a leur pourfuite pour aller au Fort 
' Royal de la Martinique. Apres y avoir pafle quarante huit heures, on feignit 
' une entreprife fur Sainte Lucie, lorfqu'on ne vouloit qu'enlever Tobago. 
' Cette colonie fut prife en prefence de Rodney luimeme que, avec vingt deux 
' vaifleaux contre vingt quatre, ne vouliit qu'etre temoin, obfervant de fe tenir a 
' une diftance refpeftueufe, & refufant conftaniment le combat que les Fran9ois 
' lui ont prefente de bonne grace. Tobago etant approvifionne de tout ce qui 
* lui etoit neceflaire, I'armee fe rendit a Saint Domingue avec un convoi de (") 

H " deux 



( 26 ) 

" deux cents voiles, pris a la Grenade, a la Martinique, & a la Guadaloupe. 
" Le i6 Juillet elle mouilla au cap, ile de Saint Dominguc. Le 23 \ Intrepide 
" de 74 canons fauta en la'ir par le feu pris dans unc harique de tafia. Le 
" meme accident arriva a V lacunftante fur I'ile a vache. 

" Le 5 AoCit I'armee apparreilla de St. Dominguc, & dirigea fa route pour 
" paffer devant hi Havanna, afin d' y prendre de I'argcnt ; elle debouqua en- 
" fuitc par Ic canal de Bahama. Le 30 Aoiit elle mouilla dans la have de 
" Chefapeak. Le Marquis de la Fayette commandoit ii Jamftown un corps 
" d'Americains qui ohfcrvoit les mouvemens du Lord Cornwallis, dont les 
" forces etoient plus confiderables ; ce dernier occupoit la pofte d'York, fur la 
" rive droite de la riviere de ce nom, & celui de Glocefter fur la gauche, vis-a- 
*' vis d'York. Le Caton de 50 canons, la Guadeloupe de 24, plufieurs corvettes 
" & un grand nomhre de tranfports, afluroicnt fcs fuhfiftanccs, fes communica- 
" tions, & le rendoient maitre de la mer. Le Comte de Graffc fut inftruit de 
" tous ces details le foir meme de fon arrivec par un officier que le Marquis 
" de la Fayette avoit poste, au cap Henri pour I'y attendre. 

" La fregate la Concorde depechee a St. Domingue par le Comte de Barras, 
" chargee dcs depeches des Generaux Wafhington & Rochambeau au Comte 
" de Grafic, lui faisoit connoitre la fituation de Icur armee, & les fucces que 
" les ennemis avoient dans la Virginie & le Maryland fous les ordres du Lord 
" Cornwallis, que Ton pouvoit furprcndre fi les forces maritimes devenoient 
" fupericures a cellcs des enemis. 

" Le Comte de Grafie, perfuade de I'importance de fecourir ces deux pro- 
" vinces, d'y entrcprendre la prife du Lord Cornwallis dans les poftes qu'il oc- 
" cupoit, & de fe rendre maitre de la baie de Chcfqicak, depecha fur le cJiamp 
" la Concorde pour annoncer fon arrivee fur le Cap Henry, embarqua 3300 
" hommes aux ordres du M. de St. Simon, lefquels furent repartis fur les 
" vingt huit vaiflcaux de guerre que compofoient fon armee. Le retour de 
" la Concorde a Newport annonca aux Generaux Wafliington & Rochambeau 
" les difpofitions du Comte de Graffc. Ces generaux fircnt alors marcher leur 
" armee fur la riviere d'Klk, qui fe jette dans le Nord-Eft au fond de la baye 
" de Chefapeak. 

" Le Comte de Barras fut aufl'i prevenu des memes difpofitions ; ce General 
" fermement perfuade de I'avantage qui refulteroit de fa reunion a I'armee du 
" Comte de Grafle dans la baye de Chefapeak, fe difpofa a s'y rendre, non- 
" obftant la liberte qu'il avoit de pouvoir agir en chef dans la partie du 
" nord. 
tQ\ " Le G/orieux, {'Aigrette, & la Diligente chaflbit en avant de i'armee lorf- 

qu'elle entra dans la baye ; ils eurent connoifilince de la fregate la Guadeloupe 
" & de la corvette la Loyalifle mouillee au Cap Llenri : ils les pourfuivirent 
"jufqua I'entree de la riviere d' York. La corvette fut prife; le Glorieuz 
" accompagnee des deux frigates mouilla a rembouchure de la riviere pour en 
" former le blocus, & fut renforcti le lendemain par les deux vaiffeaux le Fail- 
" lant & le Triton: on s'empara aufli de la riviere de James qui fe jette dans la 

" Chefapeak, 



( ^7 ) 

Chefapealc, quatre lieues plus an fud que celle d'York. \J Experiment , 

* VAndromaque, & pluficurs corvettes furent portees dans cette riviere, de ma- 

* nierc a coupcr ia rctraite du Lord Cornwallis fur la Caroline, & proteger en 
' meme temps nos canots & chalouppes fur leflquels s'embarquerent 1683300 
' homines du M. de St. Simon, pour les trafporter dans le haut de la riviere 
' de James, a la diftance de dixhuit licucs du mouillage de Lynnhaven, oc- 
' cupe par I'armee navale. Lc M. de St. Simon y arriva Ic 2 Septcmbre, le 

* M. de la Fayette le 3, avec le corps qu'il commandoit, & ils fe portcrcnt le 
' lendemain fur Williamfbourg, qui n'eil qua cinq licucs d'York. 

" Le theatre de cette importante operation etoit done une efpece de pre- 
' fqu'ilc d'environ quinze lieues de I'Eft 11 FOucft;, & dcquarre a cinq du nord 
' au fud, formee par les rivieres York, James, & la baye de Chefapcak. Les 

* poftes de Jameftown, Williamlbourg, ancienne residence des gouverncurs dc 
' la Virginic, York & Hampton, fc trouvcnt dans cette prcfqu'ile. 

" L'armeeattcndoitau mouillagedc Lynnhaven les nouvelles de la marche du 
' General Wafliington, & le retour de fes canots & chaloupes, lorfque le 5 
' Septcmbre a huit hcurcs du matin, la fregate cic decouvcrtc fignala vingtfept 
' voiles dans I'cfl:, dirigeant leur route fur la baye dc Chefapcak: les vents 
' etoient de la partie du Nord-Eft. II fut peu apres reconnu que la flotte fig- 
' nalee etoit ennemie, & non le Comte de Barras qu'on attcndoit : ils for^oient 
' de voiles & furent bientot i\{{'ci pres pour que Ton appcrcut facilement qu'ils 
' fe rangeoient fur la ligne du plus pres ftribord, en faifant paffer les vaifl'eaux (D) 
' de force a leur avantgarde. Lc Comte de Grafle au moment ou ils furent 
' fignales ordonna de fe difpofer au combat; dc faire revenir les batimcnts a 
' rames qui etoient a I'aiguade, & de fe tenir prets a appareiller. A midi la 
' maree permettoit de mettre fous voile, le fignal en fut faid ainfi que celui de 
' former en apparcillant une ligne de viteffe. Les captaines mirent dans leurs /p\ 
'manoeuvres une telle celerite, que nonobftant I'abfcnce de pres de 1800 
' liommes & go officiers employes au debarquement de troupes, I'armee fut 
' dans moins de trois quarts d'heure fous voile, & fa ligne formee dans I'ordre 
' fuivant : le Pluton, la Bourgogne, le Marjeillois, le Diademe, le Reflechi, V Augujie, 
' le <SV. EJprity le Caton, le Cejar, le Dejlin, la Ville de Paris, la yiEioire, le 
' Sceptre, le Northumberland, le Palmier, le Solitaire, le Citoyen, le Scipion, le 

* Magnanime, X Hercule, le Languedoc, le Zel'e, \ HeElor & le Soiiverain. Le 
' Languedoc monte par le Sieur de Monteil, chef de I'efcadre blanche & bleue, 
' fe trouvoit diredlement en avant de la Ville de Paris ; le Comte de Graffe 

* voyant qu'il n'y avoit point d'officiers generaux a fon arriere guarde lui donna 
' un ordre verbal d'aller en prendre le commandement. 

" Les ennemis vcnoient du vent ; ils I'avoient conferve en fe formant fur la 

' ligne du plus pres ftribord. A deux heures ils virerent tous enfemble vent /p\ 

' arriere, & prirent les memes amures que I'armee Fran^oife; dans cette po- 

fition elles fe trouverent au meme bord fans cependant etre ranges fur des 

lignes paralleles, I'arriere garde de I'Amiral Graves etant infiniment au vent 

3 de 



( 28 ) 

(Q\ " de font avantgarde. A trois heures les vaifleaux de tete de I'armee Fran- 
" 9oire fe trouvoient, par la variete des vents & des courans, trop au vent pour 
que leur ligne fut bien tormee. Le Comte de Grafle les fit arriver de deux 
quarts, a fin de donner a tous fes vaifleaux I'avantage de combattre enfemble ; 
ils retinrent le vent lorfqu'ils furent fufiifamment arrives ; les deux tetes des 
armees s'approcherent alors a la portee de la moufqueterie. A quatre heures 
le combat commenca a I'avantgarde, commandee par le Sieur de Bougain- 
ville, avec un feu tres vif, & fucceffivement les vaifleaux du corps de bataille 

(H)" y pi'irent part. A 5 heures les vents ayant continue de varier jufqu'a 4 
" quarts, pla^oient encore I'avantgarde Fran^oife trop au vent. Le Comte 
de Grafle defiroit ardemment que I'engagement fut general, & pour y difpofer 
I'ennemi il ordonna une feconde fois a fon avantgarde d'arriver; celle de 
I'Amiral Graves etoit tres mal traitee, & cet Amiral profita de I'avantage du 
vent qui le rendoit niaitre de la difl;ance pour eviter d'etre attaque par I'ar- 
riere garde Fran^oife qui faifoit tous fes efforts pour atteindre la fienne & 
fon centre. Le coucher du foleil termina ce combat. L'armee Angloife 
tint le vent, & I'ayant encore conferve le lendemain, elle employa cette jour- 
nee a fe reparer. Le 7 a midi les vents changerent a I'avantage de l'armee 
Francoife. Le Comte de Grafle s'approcha de celle de I'enemi & manoeuvra 
le foir pour conferver le vent dans la nuit. Le 8 a la pointe de jour I'Amiral 
Graves profitoit d'une variation de vent qui le favorifoit pour s'elcver au vent 
de l'armee Francoife qui etoit alors dans I'ordre de I'echiquier fur la linge du 
plus pres babord, courant les amures a ftribord : le Comte de Grafle s'en ap- 
percut, fit revirer fon armee tout a la fois, & elle fe trouva par ce mouvement 
en ordre de bataille bien rangee, allant fur I'ennemi qui etoit a bord a contre 
fur une ligne mal formee, & paroiflbit nonobfliant fa mauvaife pofition vou- 
loir difputer le vent. Le Comte de Grafle fit fignal a fes vailfeaux de tete 
de pafler tres pres en avant de ceux des Anglois. Ils entreprient alors de fe 
former par une contremarche vent devant, pour prefenter, fur le meme bord 
que l'armee Francoife, une ligne de combat. L'Amiral Graves s'apercut 
combien cette manoeuvre etoit dangereufe ; en ce qu'en la continnant elle eut 
donne a l'armee Francoife I'avantage de I'attaquer, fon mouvement a moitie 
forme. Trois vaifleaux avoient feuls comence cette manoeuvre lorsqu'il fit 
arriver vent arriere a fon armee pour fe former fur fon arriere garde; cette 

n\ " manoeuvre ceda toutafait le vent a l'armee Francoife, dont les Anglois 
" s'etoient eloignes a toutes voiles. Dans la nuit du 8 a 9 une variation leur 
rendit le vent. Dans la foiree due 9 le Comte de Grafle le leur gagna par fa 
manoeuvre, & par I'avantage de pouvoir faire plus de voiles que I'efcadre 
Angloife, fes vaifleaux agant moins fouffert. Dans la nuit du 9 a 10 les en- 
nemis difparurent. Le Comte de Grafle voyant alors la difficulte de forcer 
I'Amiral Graves au combat, & craignant que quelques variations de vent 
n'euflent permis a I'ennemi de le devancer dans la baye de Chefapeak, prit le 
parti d'y retourner pour y continuer fes operations, &reprendre fes equipages. 

" Le 



( 29 ) 

' Glorieux & la Diligente fe rallierent a Tarmee le lo au foir. Le 1 1 les deux 
' fregates le Richmond & V Iris, forties la veille de la baye de Chefapeak ou 
' elles avoient ete couper les bouees de I'armee du Comte de GrafTe, tomberent 
' entre fes mains: fon armee mouilla cette meme journee fur le Cap Henri ou 
' le Comte de Barras etoit arrive la veille. 

" L'armee Fran^oife, a I'affaire du 5, etoit compofee de 24 vaifTeaux & de 
' deux fregates; I'Amiral Graves, renforce par Hood, avoit 20 vaifleaux, dont 
' deux a trois ponts, & 9 fregates ou corvettes. De leur propre aveu, cinq 
' des leurs ont ete confiderablement maltraites, & particulierement le Terrible 
' de 74, fixieme vaifleau de leur ligne, auquel ils mirent le feu dans la nuit 
' du 9 au 10, ne pouvant plus le tenir fur I'eau. Les 15 premiers vaiffeaux 
' de la ligne Fran9oife furent les feuls a prendee part a Taction; ils n'eurent 
' auffi qu'un pareil nombre de vaiffeaux a combattre; les cinq de I'arriere 
' garde Anglois ayant refufe de fe metre a portee. 

" L'armee Fran9oife a perdu, dans cette affaire, les Sieurs de Boades, capi- 
' taine de vaifleau, commandant le Reflechi, Dupe d'Orvault, lieutenant de 
' vaiffeau & major de I'efcadre bleue; Rhaab, enfeigne de vaiffeau, Suedois, 
' fur le Caton; de la Villeon, officier auxiliaire, fur le Diademe; 18 ont ete 
bleffes, & il y a eu environ 200 hommes tant tues que bleffes. 
" Pendant cet intervalle, l'armee Americaine & Francoife etoient parvenues 
a I'embouchure de I'Elk. L'avantgarde aux ordres du Comte de Cuftine, 
embarquee fur des bateaux du pays, arriva le 19 a Williamffiurgh: le refte 
de l'armee, aux ordres du Baron de Viomenil, ayant marche jufqu'a 
Baltimore s'y embarqua fur des fregates & tranfports, envoyes par le 
Comte de Graffe. Le 24 tout fut reuni a Williamfljourg; les Generaux 
Waffiington & Rochambeau y etoient des le 13, etant venus par terre, & 
n'ayant que deux aides da camp a leur fuite. Le 18 ils fe rendirent a bord 
de la Ville de Paris pour concerter avec le Comte de Graffe fur les moyens 
d'agir. Le Comte de Graffe quitta alors le mouillage de Linhaven, ou les 
vaiffeaux ne font pas en furete, & alia prendre celui que eft au dela du banc 
de Middle Ground &d'Horfe-ftT.oe; fon armee y mouilla en ligne, en dedans 
& au debouche de ces deux bancs, prete a s'emboffer fi I'Amiral Graves, ren- 
force par I'arrivee de Digby, eut effaye de fecourir le Lord Cornwallis; 
d'ailleurs cette pofition donnoit auffi les moyens d'accelerer le fiege, par une 
plus grande facilite du tranfport des munitions: il y eut auffi trois vaifleaux 
nommes pour aller s'emboffer a I'entree de la riviere de James. Le 30, 800 
hommes de la garnifon des vaiffeaux furent renforcer le Sieur de Choify qui 
bloquoit Glocefter avec la legion du Due de Lauzun de 2000 Americains. 
York fut invefti le 29, la tranchee ouverte du 6 au 7 apres midy. Le 17, le 
Lord Cornwallis demanda une fufpenfion d'armes de vingt quatre heures; (le 
General Burgoyne avoit figne il y a quatre ans a la meme epoque la capitu- 
lation de Saratoga), deux heures lui furent feulement accordees, & pour lors 
il demanda a capituler; un jour fut employe a difcuter fur les articles de la 
capitulation, qui fut fignee & conclue le 19. 

I " II 



V 

\' 

( 30 ) - 1; 

" II s'eft trouve dans les poftes d'York & de Glocefter 6000 hommes de 1 

" troupes reglees, Anglolfes ou Heflbifes, & 22 drapeaux, 1500 matelots, 160 
" canons de tout calibre, aux environs de 40 batimens, dont un vaifleau de 50 
" canons qui a ete brule ; 20 batimens de tranfports ont ete coules bas-dans ce 
" nombre fe trouve la fregate la Guadeloupe, de 24 canons." 



( 31 ) 
(No. II.) 

SUPPLEMENT 

A LA 

GAZETTE de FRANCE. 

Du M A R D I, ao Nov. 1781. 



" Journal des operations du corps Fran9ois fous le commandement du 
" Comte de Rochambeau, Lieutenant General de I'Armee du Roi ; 
" depuis le 15 d'Aout. 

" l^TOUS resumes le 15 d'Aout, par la fregate la Concorde, les reponfes 
" i.^ du Comte de Grafle, qui nous annon9oient fa prochaine arrivee dans la 
" baye de Chefapeak avec 3000 hommes, &c. &c. 

" Nous fumes le 6 Septembre a la tete de I'Elk fur la baye de Chefapeak 
" au nous trouvames les lettres du Comte de Grafle, qui nous faifoit part de 
" fon arrivee dans la baye le 28 Aout, du debarquement des troupes, &c. &c. iy[\ 

" Le peu de tranfport que Ton avoit pu raflembler dans la baye, ou les 
" Anglois depuis cinq mois avoient tout detruit, ne nous permit que d'embar- 
" quer les, &c. 

" Le 8 le General Wafhington & moi & le Chevalier de Chatelleux primes 
" les devants. Nous arrivames le 14 a Williamflsourg. Le Lord Cornwallis 

" etoit 



(N) 



( 3^ ) 

etoit occupe a fe retrancher a York & a Glocefter, barrant la riviere d'York 
par fes vaifTeaux embofles & quelquesuns coules bas dans le chenal. 
" Apres toutes les nouvelles les plus inquietantes que nous avions re9ues le 
long de la route fur I'apparition de la flotte Angloife, la fortie de celle du 
Comte de Grafle, un combat donne dans la journee du 5, I'apparition de deux 
fregates Angloifes dans la baye, nous eumes enfin dans la nuit du 14 au 15, 
par une lettre du Comte de Grafle, un rapport circonftancie des faits fuivans ; 
I'Amiral Hood avoit rejoint le 28 Aout I'efcardre de Graves devant New 
York ; elles avoient fait voile toutes deux le 3 1 vers la baye de Chefapeak, au 
moment ou notre mouvement par terre fur Philadelphie avoit ete demafque. 
L'efcadre Angloife, forte de vingt vaifTeaux, arriva le 5 au Cap Charles, 
comptant y primer le Comte de Graffe ; celui-ci ayant encore 1500 hommes 
dans toutes fes chalopes, qui avoient ete debarquer les troupes & qui n'etoient 
point encore de retour, ne balan^a pas a couper fe? cables & a aller com- 
battre I'ennemi avec vingt-quatre vaifTeaux, laiflant le refle a bloquer Corn- 
vvallis dans les rivieres d'York & de James ; Graves s'eleva au vent, I'avant- 
garde du Comte de Grafle, aux ordres du Sieur de Bougainville, atteignit 
Parriere garde Angloife, qui fut tres maltraitee ; le Comte de GrafTe ayant 
pourfuivi quelque temps, rentra le 1 1 dans la baye ou il trouva l'efcadre du 
Comte de Barras, qui etant partie le 25 Aout de Newport avec dix tran- 
fports, portant notre artillerie de fiege, etoit entre dans la baye le 10 a bon 
port. Les deux fregates Angloifes fe trouverent entre les deux efcadres & 
furent pralfes; on detacha tout de fuite les dix tranfports du Comte de Barras, 
les fregates & les prifes du Comte de GrafTe, pour aller prendre nos troupes 
a Annapolis, fous les ordres du Sieur de la Ville Brune, commandant le 
Rordulus, qui avec le Baron de Viomenil mit une telle aftivite qu'il arriva le 
25 au creek de Williamfburg oii Ton debarqua I'armee le 26 & le 27. 
" Le 28, I'armee alliee partit de Williamfburg a la pointe de jour, fe porta 
fur York-town, et lecorps Francois compofe de 7000 hommes commemja I'in- 
veflifTement, &c. Le 29, I'armee Americaine pafTa le marais, & I'inveftifTe- 
ment de York fe trouva complet. La nuit du 29 au 30, I'ennemi prit le 
parti de nous abandonner tous fes ouvrages exterieurs. Nous pafTames la 
journee du 30 a nous loger dans ces ouvrages abandonnes. Ce meme jour 
les tranfports portant I'artillerie de fiege font defcendus jufqu'a Trubello- 
Landini a 7 miles d'ici, &c. 
" Le 3 Odobre, le Sieur de Choify marcha pour refTerrer Glocefter. 
" La tranchee ete ouverte dans les deux attaques audefTus & audefTous de 

" la riviere d'York dans la nuit du 6 au 7. 

" La nuit du 10 au 11 on a mis le feu au Charon & a trois autres tran- 

" fports. 

" Dans la journee du 17 I'ennemi commen9a a parlementer. La capitula- 

" tion a ete fignee le 19 au matin. La garnifon a defile a deux heures tambour 

" battant, &c." 

FINIS. 



SUPPLEMENT 



For the benefit of thofe who do not read French, the following 
tranflation of the extradts from the Gazette de France, of Tuefday, 
November 20, lyS^i, is refpedfully fubmitted. 

THE EDITOR. 



SUPPLEMENT 



For the benefit of thofe who do not read French, the following 
tranflation of the extrads from the Gazette de France, of Tuefday, 
November 20, 17B1, is refpeftfully fubmitted. 

THE EDITOR. 



( 33 ) 
(No. I.) 

SUPPLEMENT 

TO THE 

GAZETTE de FRANCE. 

Tuesday, 20 Nov. 1781. 



Sketch of the Campaign of the Fleet under the orders of the Count de 

Grafle. 

THE Count de Grafle left Breft, March 22, with a convoy of one hundred 
and fifty fail, and after an unexampled quick paflage acrofs, on the 29th 
of April by a cannonade, routed the eighteen Englifh men-of-war, which had 
blockaded Martinique for fifty days; their fuperior failing powers and the 
plan they adopted of retiring wind afliern, on the third day forced the Count 
de Grafle to give over the chafe and return to Port Royal, Martinique, (-^j r-- 
After fpending forty-eight hours there, an expedition againft Saint Lucia was 

pretended, when they only wished to carry Tobago. This colony was " — "^•- Ta^c^,,/; /^u*./ 
taken before Rodney's very eyes, the latter with twenty-two veflels againft 
twenty-four, chofe to be a mere witnefs, careful to keep at a refpedtful diftance, 
and conftantly refufing the battle gracioufly offered by the French. Tobago 
being provifioned with all that it needed, the fleet proceeded to St. Do- (") 
mingo, with a convoy of two hundred fails, collected at Granada, Martinique 

L and 



( 34 ) 

and Guadaloupe. On the i6th of July it anchored at the Cape, Ifland of St. 
Domingo, on the 23d the Intrepide, 74 guns, blew up from the fire taking in 
a-barrell of tafia. The fame accident befel the Inconftante at Ifle a Vache. 

On the 5th of Auguft, the fleet hoifted fail from St. Domingo and 
directed its courfe, fo as to pafs before Havana, and take in money; it then 
debouched by the Bahama channel. On the 30th of Auguft it anchored in 
Chefapeake Bay. The Marquis de la Fayette was in command of a corps of 
Americans at Jamftown, wafching the movements of Lord Cornwallis, whofe 
forces outnumbered him. The latter occupied the poft of York on the right 
bank of the river of that name, and that of Glocefter on the left oppofite 
York. The Caton 50 guns, the Guadeloupe 24, feveral corvettes and a great 
number of tranfports affured his fupplies and communications and made him 
mafter of the fea. Count de GrafTe was informed of all thefe details the very 
evening of his arrival, by an officer whom the Marquis de la Fayette had 
pofted on Cape Henry to await him. 

The frigate Concorde difpatched to St. Domingo by Count de Barras 
with defpatches from Generals Wafliington and Rochambeau to Count de 
Grafle, had informed him of the pofition of their army, and of the enemy's fuc- 
cefs in Virginia and Maryland under the command of Lord Cornwallis, who 
might be furprifed, if the naval force fhould become fuperior to the enemy's. 

The Count de Grafle, convinced of the importance of relieving thofe 
two provinces, undertaking the capture of Lord Cornwallis in the pofts he 
occupied, and becoming mafter of Chefapeake Bay, at once difpatched the 
Concorde to announce his arrival at Cape Henry, took on board 3300 men 
under the command of M. de St. Simon, whf) were diftributed among the 
twenty-eight men of war compofing his fleet. The return of the Concorde 
to Newport, made known to Generals Wafliington and Rochambeau the pre- 
parations of Count de Grafle. Thofe generals then marched their army on 
the Elk, which empties into the head of Chefapeake bay on the northeaft. 

Count de Barras was alfo notified of the fame preparations ; that com- 
mander fully convinced of the advantage that would refult from his jundion 
with Count de Grafle's fleet in Chefapeake Bay, prepared to proceed to that 
point, notwithftanding the liberty left him to aft as chief in the northern 
waters. 
(C) The Glorieux, Aigrette and Diligente were chafing in the van of the 
fleet when it ftood into the bay : they difcovered the frigate Guadeloupe and 
corvette Loyalift anchored off Cape Henry and purfued them to the mouth 
of York river. The corvette was taken ; the Glorieux with two frigates, 
anchored at the mouth of the river to blockade it, and was reinforced the next 
day by two veffels, the Vaillant and Triton: poffeflion was taken alfo of 
James River, which empties into the Chefapeake, four leagues fouth of the 
York. The Experiment, Andromaque and feveral corvettes were ftationed 
in that river to cut off Lord Cornwallis' retreat into Carolina, and at the fame 
time to proted: our boats and floops in which M. de St. Simon's 3300 men 

had 



( 35 ) 

embarked to be tranfported up the James, to a diftance of eighteen miles 
from the anchorage of Lynn Haven, occupied by the fleet. The Marquis de 
St. Simon arrived there on the 2d of September, the Marquis de la Fayette 
on the 3d with the corps under his command, and the next day they moved 
on Williamfburg, which is only five leagues from York. 

The^ theatre of this important operation was then a kind of peninfula of 
about fifteen leagues from eaft to weft, and from four to five from north to 
fouth, formed by the rivers York and James and Chefapeake Bay. The poft 
of Jameftown, Williamfburg, former refidence of the Governours of Virginia, 
York and Hampton lay in this peninfula. 

The fleet was awaiting at the roadftead of Lynn Haven tidings of Gen- 
eral Wadiington's march, and the return of its boats and floops, when on the 
5th of September at S a. m. the frigate on the lookout fignalled twenty-feven 
fail in the eaft, fteering towards Chefapeake Bay, the wind was from the north- 
eaft. It was foon evident that the fleet fignalled was the enemy and not the 
Count de Barras, whom they were expefting : fail was crowded and they were 
foon near enough to perceive eafily that the enemy were forming on a clofe (D) 
ftarboard line, pufliing the heavy veflels to the front. The Count de Grafl"e 
at the very moment when they were fignalled ordered all hands to prepare for 
adion, to recal the rowing boats which were out for water and to be ready to 
weigh. At noon the tide permitted him to fet fail, the fignal was given to 
do fo and also to form in order of fpeed. The captains manoeuvered with fuch (E) 
celerity, that notwithftanding the abfence of nearly 1 800 men and 90 officers en- 
gaged in landing the troops, the fleet was underway in lefs than three quarters of 
an hour, the line formed m the following order : the Pluton, Bourgogne, Mar- 
feillois, Diademe, Reflechi, Augufte, St. Efprit, Caton, Cefar, Deftin, Ville 
de Paris, Vidoire, Sceptre, Northumberland, Palmier, Solitaire, Citoyen, 
Scipion, Magnanime, Hercule, Languedoc, Zele, Hedlor and Souverain. 
The Languedoc, under the Sieur de Monteil, commodore of the white and 
blue fquadron, was direftly in front of the Ville de Paris ; the Count de 
Grafle feeing that there were no general officers in his rear guard, gave him a 
verbal order to go and afllime command of it. 

The enemy came from windward ; they had kept it by forming in a close- 
hauled starboard line. At two o'clock they tacked, and wore together on the (F) 
fame tack as the French fleet ; in this pofition they were on the lame tack yet 
without being ranged in parallel lines, Admiral Graves' rear guard being infi- 
nitely to the windward of his van. At three o'clock the headmoft veflels of 
the French fleet were by the fhifting of the winds and currents too far to (G) 
windward for a well formed line. Count de Grafle made them bear away two 
points, fo as to give all his veflels the advantage of fighting together ; they 
kept the wind when they had borne away fufficiently : the heads of the two 
fleets then came within muflcet fliot. At four o'clock the adion commenced 
at the van commanded by the Sieur de Bougainville, with a very brifk fire, 

and 



( 36 ) 

(H)and fucceffively all the fhips of the main body took part. At five the winds 
having continued to vary four points, again threw the French van too far to 
windward. Count de Grafle ardently defired a general engagement, and to 
bring his antagonift to it, again ordered his van to bear down: that of Ad- 
miral Graves was very ill treated, and that Admiral improved the advantage 
of the wind, which made him mafter of the diftance to avoid being attacked 
by the French rear guard, which was making every effort to reach his rear and 
main body. The fetting of the fun terminated this combat. The Englifh 
fleet kept the wind, and having preferved it alfo the next day, fpent the day 
in repairing. 

On the yth at noon the winds fhifted favorably for the French fleet. Count 
de Graffe drew near to the enemy and mancEuvred during the evening in 
order to keep the wind in the night. The 8th at dawn, Admiral Graves 
improved a favorable gale to get to windward of the French fleet, which was 
then in a bow and quarter line, on a clofe larboard line running on the 
ftarboard tack. Count de Graffe perceived it, made his whole fleet 
veer at once, and by this movement it was in order of battle well drawn 
up, bearing down on the enemy, who was on the contrary tack in an 
ilUormed line, and notwithilanding his difadvantageous pofition feemed 
difpofed to difpute the weather gage. The Count de Grafle fignalled his 
foremoft veffels to pafs clofe ahead of the Englifli van. They then under- 
took to form by a general tacking of the line, head to wind, to offer a line 
of battle on the fame tack as the French. Admiral Graves faw how dangerous 
this mancx'uvre was, as by continuing it, the French fleet would have the 
advantage of attacking his half formed line. Only three veffels had begun 
this manoeuvre, when he made his fleet bear away aft to form on his rear; 
this manct'uvre yielded the weather gage completely to the French fleet from 
which the Englifli had retired under full fail. 

In the night of the Hth-gth, a fliifting of the wind gave them the 
(I) weather gage. 

In the evening of the 9th the Count de Graffe gained it from them by his 
manoeuvring and by the advantage of being able to crowd more fail than the 
Englifh fleet, his veffels having fuffered lefs. During the night of the 9- 
loth the enemy difappeared. Count de (rraffe then feeing the difficulty of 
forcing Admiral Graves to an aftion, and fearing left fome change of wind 
might enable the enemy to get into Chefapeake Bay before him, refolved to 
return there to continue his operations at that point, and take his crews 
aboard again. The Glorieux and Diligente rejoined the fleet on the evening 
of the loth. On the iith the two frigates Richmond and Iris, which failed 
the day before from Chefapeake bay, where they had gone to cut the buovs 
of the Count de Graffe's fleet, fell into his hands. The fame day his fleet 
anchored off Cape Henry, where Count de Barras had arrived the pre- 
ceding day. 

The French fleet, in the affair of the 5th, confifted of 24 fliips of war 

and 



( 37 ) 

and two frigates; Admiral Graves, reinforced by Hood, had 20 fhips of war, 
two of them three deckers, and nine frigates or advice boats. Accordmg to 
their own account, five of theirs were confiderably damaged, efpecially the 
Terrible, 74, the fixth fhip of their line, to which they fet fire on the night of 
the 9th-ioth, unable to keep her afloat. The fifteen headmoft vefl"els of the 
French line were the only ones which took part in the aftion, and had only an 
equal number of vefTels to engage; the five fliips in the EngliOi rear declining 
to come within reach. 

The French fleet loft in this afi^air the Sieurs de Boades, captain oi a 
man of war, commanding the Reflechi, Dupe d'Orvault, lieutenant of a man 
of war and major of the blue fquadron ; Rhaab, enfign of a man of war, a 
Swede, on the Caton ; de la Villeon, an auxiliary officer on the Diademe ; 
18 officers were wounded and about 200 men killed and wounded. 

Durino- this interval, the American and French armies had reached the 
mouth of the Elk. The van under Count de Cuftine, embarking on vefl^els 
of the country, reached Williamiburg on the 19th, the reft of the army under 
the Baron de Viomenil, having marched to Baltimore, embarked there on 
frigates and tranfports fent by the Count de Grafle. On the 24th all united 
at Williamiliurg. Generals Wafliington and Rochambeau had been there 
from the 15th, having come by land, attended only by two aides de 
camp. On the i8th they went on board the Ville de Paris to concert a plan 
of aftion with the Count de Grafl"e. The Count de Grafl*e then left the 
anchorage of Lynn Haven, where ffiips are not fafe, and occupied that beyond 
Middle Ground and Horfeffioe Bank; his fleet anchored in line, within and 
at the ifl'ue of thefe two banks, ready to fpring his cables, if Admiral 
Graves, now reinforced by the arrival of Digby, fliould attempt to 
relieve Lord Cornwallis; moreover this pofitlon enabled them to quicken the 
fiege, by facilitating immenfely the tranfport of munitions ; three veflels were 
alfo appointed to go and anchor with fprings on their cables at the mouth 
of the James. On the 30th, 800 marines were fent to reinforce the Sieur de 
Choify, who was blockading Glocefter with the Duke de Lauzun's legion 
of 2,000 Americans. York was invefted on the 29th, the trench opened on 
the 6th or 7th after noon. On the 17th Lord Cornwallis defired a fufpenfion 
of hoftilities for twenty four hours ; (four years before at the fame time Gen- 
eral Burgoyne had figned the capitulation of Saratoga.) Two hours only were 
granted him, and he then alked to capitulate ; a day was fpent in difcufling 
the articles of capitulation, which were figned and concluded on the 19th. 

There were found in the ports of York and Glocefter 6000 regular 
troops, Engliffi or Heffians, with 22 colors, 1500 failors, 160 cannon ot all 
calibres : about 40 veflels, one, a ffiip of 50 guns, which was burnt ; 20 tranf- 
ports had been funk, among them the frigate Guadeloupe of 24 guns. 
^ M 



( 38 ) 



(No. II.) 



SUPPLEMENT 



TO THE 



GAZETTE de FRANCE. 



Of T U E S D A Y , Nov. 20, I781. 



"Journal of the Operations of the French corps under the command of 
the Count de Rochambeau, Lieutenant-General of the Royal Army, from 
Auguft 15th 



o 



,N the 15th of Auguft, we received by the frigate Concorde, the replies 
of the Count de Grafle, announcing his fpeedy arrival in Chefapeake 
Bay with 3000 men, &c. &c. 

On the 6th of September we proceeded to the Head of Elk on Chefapeake 
Bay, where we found the Count de GrafTe's letters, informing us of his arrival 
in the bay on the 28th of Auguft, the landing of the troops, &c. &c. 
(M) The fcanty tranfportation which it had been poflible to colle(5t in the bay, 
where the Englifti had been deftroying everything for the laft five months, 
did not permit us to embark the, &c. 

On the 8th General Wafhington and I and the Chevalier de Chatelleux, 
ftarted on ahead. We reached Williamfburg on the 14th. Lord Cornwallis 

was 



( 39 ) 

was bufy entrenching at York and Glocefter, obftrufting York river with 
veflels anchored, and fome funk in the channel. 

After all the moft difquieting news that we had received on our way, as 
to the appearance of the Englifh fleet, the departure of that of the Count de 
Grafle, an adlion fought on the 5th, the appearance of two Englifh frigates 
in the Bay, we at laft in the night of the I4th-i5th obtained by letter from 
the Count de Grafle, a circumfliantial account of the following fafts : — Ad- 
miral Hood had, on the 28th of Augufl;, rejoined Graves' fquadron ofi^ New 
York; they failed in company on the jifl; for Chefapeake Bay, the moment 
our movement by land on Philadelphia was unmaflced. The Englifli fquad- (N) 
ron, twenty men of war fl;rong, reached Cape Charles on the 5th, calculating 
to anticipate the Count de Grafle there; the latter having 1500 men fl;ill in 
his floops, which had been landing the troops and had not returned, without 
hefitation cut his cables and failed out to meet the enemy with 24 fliips, 
leaving the refl: to blockade Cornwallis in York and James rivers; Graves 
got the weather gage. Count de Grafle's van under the Sieur de Bougainville, 
reached the Engliili rear, which was very roughly handled ; the Count de 
Grafle having purfued for fome time, returned to the bay on the l ith, where 
he found the fquadron of the Count de Barras, which had failed from New- 
port on the 25th of Augufl; with ten tranfports, bringing our fiege guns, and 
had entered the bay fafely on the 10th. The two Englifli frigates found 
themfelves between the two fquadrons, and were taken ; they immediately 
detached the ten tranfports of the Count de Barras, and the Count de Grafle's 
frigates and prizes, all under the Sieur de la Ville Brune, commanding the 
Romulus, to go to Annapolis and bring down our troops. De la Ville 
Brune with the Baron de Viomenil ufed fuch celerity that he reached Wil- 
liamfl:iurg Creek on the 25th, and landed the army on the 26th and 27th. 

On the aSth, the allied army left Williamfl^urg at daybreak, and 
advanced on York-town. The French corps, confifting of 7000 men, began 
to inveft, &c. On the 29th, the American army pafled the marfli, and 
the inveftment of York was completed. On the night of the 29th-30th, 
the enemy determined to abandon all his exterior works. We fpent the 30th 
in occupying thefe abandoned works. The fame day the tranfports with the 
fiege guns came as far as Trubello-Landini, feven miles from here, &c. 

On the 3d of Odtober, the Sieur de Choify marched to inveft Glocefter. 

The trench was opened in the two attacks above and below York river on 
the night of 6th-7th. 

On the night of the loth-iith they fet fire to the Charon and three 
other tranfports. 

On the 17th the enemy began to parley. The capitulation was figned 
on the morning of the 19th. The garrifon marched out at 2 o'clock, drums 
beating, &c." 

FINIS. 



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